Bucket List Inspiration

Last week, I published my personal 40 before 40 list. (Yeah, I let it all hang out and you can feel free to hold me accountable.) This week, I’m offering some suggestions in case you’d like to make your own “before” or bucket list.

But first, let’s discuss what a “before” or bucket list is and why you might want one: A “before” list is a collection of goals you’d like to achieve before a certain age and a bucket list is your lifetime to-do list (aka before you “kick the bucket.”)

As to why you might want one, I can think of a couple of reasons: 1) It encourages you to take note of your goals, ensuring they remain a priority, and 2) It gives you something to look forward to, to plan and to anticipate, which makes life more fun. Did you know that researchers found planning a vacation (not actually going on one) can boost happiness for up to 8 weeks? It thus makes sense that the simple act of looking forward to something would work similarly.

Not everyone is a fan of bucket lists, however. If you need a reason (or seven) NOT to make one, here ya go.

For those of you still on board the bucket list train, let’s get started. Here are some areas to consider in your planning:

The Big Stuff: Love, Life & Family

What life milestones do you want to accomplish? Do you want to get married? Become a parent? Own your own home? These are some obvious go-tos for your list. While I’d never written it down, one of my secret life goals was to be married before 30. Luckily, I got that one taken care of before the stress of an impending deadline and, in hindsight, I don’t think putting an age deadline on these big life items is a great idea but, if you’re working on a bucket list, add away.

Get Physical

Do you have any physical challenges you’d like to surmount? For example, do you want to bike cross country, hike a mountain, enter an endurance race, or become an American Warrior Ninja like Kacy Catanzaro? You could also look to smaller (and possibly more challenging feats) like starting a daily yoga practice, achieving and maintaining your ideal weight, or learning to love the skin you’re in, in this category. Here are some I considered:

Money & Career

I could have put money and career in the first “big stuff” category but—and this is where my personal bias comes in—I don’t consider money or career to be as important as life, love, and family. So, let’s discuss financial matters. What career or money milestones do you have for your life? Here are a few ideas:

Contribute $100K to your retirement account

Earn $75K per year

Start a business

Get a promotion

Save or invest 10% of your income each year

Learn Something

“Once you stop learning, you start dying,” Albert Einstein said.

By all means, keep the grim reaper at bay through continued learning for your bucket list. Perhaps you’d like to go back to school to reach or adjust some of your career or financial goals. You could also study a foreign language, take a cooking class, or learn to fly a plane as my hubby did. Isn’t he cute in this week’s inspiration photo?

What do you want to know before your reach your next age milestone?

Adrenaline Rush

What’s the most exciting thing you can think of?

This category could have been included under “Get Physical,” but I wanted to acknowledge that sometimes you can have a lot of fun and test your limits without tons of advance training. Here’s your opportunity to go do something crazy: Skydive. Whitewater raft. Cliff dive. Abseil. Drive a race car. Be a fighter pilot for a day. Zip line. Parasail. If money’s a concern, hike up a nearby volcano or stand at the edge of a (safe!) cliff and enjoy the sun and breeze as it buffets you.

Wander

It’s easy to fill your list with travel ideas, but as the Huff Post article noted, doing so can challenge your enjoyment of each experience. So keep it simple and let your bucket list serve as inspiration rather than a source of stress.

What are your major travel wishes? Is there anywhere you’ve always wanted to go? A type of animal you want to see in the wild? A milestone you want to achieve? Here are a few of mine for inspiration:

Visit every continent

See the Northern Lights

See African elephants in the wild

Cruise the Mediterranean

Honu (Sea turtles) on Punalu’u Black Sand Beach, Hawaii

Close to Home

Before you get the idea that everything on your “before” or bucket list needs to be a grand adventure, think about things you can do close to home. You could, for example:

Eat!

And while you’re enjoying being near home, enjoy some food fun too. Perhaps you’d like to:

Try a new restaurant or cuisine

Get a food sensitivities or allergy test and change your habits

Reduce your sugar intake

Try an exotic wine or beer

Make and then eat a dream dessert

Care

And last but certainly not least, as you’re writing your “before” or bucket list, don’t forget your caring and compassion for your fellow beings. As we say at Child Advocates, when you spend time volunteering with a foster youth, you change two lives. Why not:

Donate 10% of your salary to a worthy cause

Volunteer at a food bank or soup kitchen

Make a year-long-plus volunteer commitment

Establish a foundation

Mentor someone

Volunteer abroad

Sign a petition or, even better, start one

I hope this list was helpful in putting together some ideas for your own “before” or bucket list. If you need some more suggestions, check out the following: